On two photos that illustrate the decline of the West

 I'm long been of the opinion that Western (particularly European) Civilisation was destroyed by WW1. Driving to and from East London this afternoon reminded me of a particularly vivid visual example.

In the first case, we have the Northbound gatehouse of the Blackwall tunnel, opened in 1897:

(image source)

And in contrast, the Southbound entrance to the second tunnel which was built less than a century later and opened in 1967:

(image source)

To me the contrast is clear, we had a culture that valued beauty in public works that were replaced by pure functionality with no regard for aesthetics. The original is ornate with decorative features such as torrents, carvings, and patterned brickwork. The second is just bare concreate with an engraved dedication.

It is also telling that the original tunnel was built in 5 years and the second took 7, despite all the progress in technology construction projects take longer and cost far, far more. While things aren't quite as bad now as in the postwar era there is still a lack of consideration in architecture towards designing attractive buildings that appeal to individuals rather than clever designs that win awards but are unlivable in. 

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